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Great Hawk
The Great Hawk is a significant legendary figure in Aeldari myth, considered as a noble bird of the Phoenix King Asuryan. With her came the summer winds and merry news and she is often associated with good fortune, prophecies and psychic powers. The Great Hawk is often depicted with the Crown of the Maiden, and is thought to be an associate of Lileath. Overview According to the Aeldari myths, the Great Hawk was Phoenix King Asuryan's noble huntress and a messenger who was entrusted with the most important and delicate of the Phoenix King's messages. She was superior to her male counterparts, the Falcon''The Falcon, as written here, is also known as ''Faolchu and Faolchú and is known of his feat of carrying Anaris to Eldanesh. and the Hawk, both messengers of the gods too, and also consorts of the Great Hawk. The Great Hawk's noble birth and prestigous position as one of the foremost servants of the Phoenix King made her to hold authority over many other creatures and especially over the birds of all creation. Song of the Great Hawk Ever vigilant, Great Hawk resided on the pillars of the Halls of the Phoenix King and her piercing eyes uncovered the plots and disguises within her master's halls and her long shadow marked the guilty. Phoenix King Asuryan was very fond of Great Hawk and her dazzling suit of feathers but he wished that the Great Hawk could sing to him. Because even after all the skills and beauty that was granted to the Great Hawk, her voice was a horribly piercing screech, no fit for singing. So Asuryan sent the Great Hawk to the White Orchard which was the court of the Moon Goddess, Lileath. There the Great Hawk dressed as the Moon Goddess' handmaiden and was taught to sing with a voice so beautiful that even the thrushes, who were gifted with a beautiful voice, came to listen Great Hawks singing. The Falcon, consort of the Great Hawk, had too found his way into the White Orchard and after witnessing the beautiful voice he flew all the way to the Halls of the Phoenix King and told the Phoenix King how magnificently beautiful had the Great Hawk's voice become. Delighted of this, Asuryan called the gods into a great feast to celebrate the homecoming of the Great Hawk. When everyone were full of the treats in the Phoenix King's long table, Asuryan pet the Great Hawk and asked her to sing a song for all of the gods gathered there. But the Great Hawk pecked Asuryan's fingers and said: :Ia Asuryan Phoenix King, stately and sovereign / Shall your servant attend with song? :Is not Lady Nightingale your diva? / Or Thrust accomplished versifier? :The Blackcap declaims, repines at your pleasure / The Warbler palavers for your delight :Old Crow yet has tales to spin / And how the Blackbird doth hosanna :How the swallows titter so from on high / E'en the bats labor for your leisure :Shall your servant attend with song? / Ia not e'en for Asuryan Phoenix King, stately and sovereignPoem written by OvaltinePatrol. Enraged of the humiliation, Asuryan sent the Great Hawk away from his halls and she fled to the White Orchard and joined the court of the Moon Goddess. Phoenix King began to look for a new overseer for his court. The Falcon eagerly took the position first, but despite its piercing gaze and swift wings, Falcon lacked the grace and majesty required for such prestigeous post. The Hawk was offered the place next, for he too had the keenest of eyes and fastest of wings, but too many times Asuryan found the Hawk disappearing into the White Orchid to woo the Great Hawk. As the birds of prey had failed him, Asuryan looked for others who might fit for the position. So the Old Crow flew into the Halls of the Phoenix King and took the overseer's mantle. Even if the Old Crow delivered messages with dignity and preciseness, Asuryan soon became irritated by its menacing crowing and its dull-black feather suit, and so the Old Crow flew away. One of the cheerful blackcbirds too took the place once. Delighted for a moment of the songs of praise the Blackbird gladly sung for the Phoenix King day and night, Asuryan soon found out that Cegorach had visited the court in disguise and stolen the Cloak of Diamonds. Lady Nightingale came to sing a song and the Warbler to have a chat, but both were sent away by Asuryan. None of the birds had keen eyes and fast wings, grace of majesty and dignity, beauty and ferocity, like the Great Hawk had. So Asuryan came down to the White Orchid where Lileath greeted him and asked the Great Hawk to join his former master. The Great Hawk showed no grudge nor asked for a compliment but flew on Asuryan's shoulder like had never left and assumed her position as the overseer of the Court of the Phoenix King. Rescue of the Moon Goddess Lileath the Maiden was a lover of Kurnous the Hunter and together they escaped into the forests and meadows to enjoy themselves. It was said that Khaine too was fond of the Moon Goddess who was not interested about the War God's cruelty and skills in martial arts and time after time she rejected the War God. So Khaine went to his brother Asuryan and demanded the Moon Goddess as his. However, it was prophesied that the Moon Goddess could not be captured by force and so Asuryan told his brother to leave the Moon Goddess to be. Infuriated by the Phoenix King's answer, Khaine vowed that if he could not have Lileath, no one would, and so he went to the White Orchid, took Lileath by her ankle and threw her out of the reality. The Great Hawk urged Asuryan to stop Khaine, but in his somber idleness, Asuryan did not lift a finger against his brother Khaine. Darkness engulfed the lands when the Moon Goddess was cast from the world. Kurnous the Hunter found his way into the White Orchid by following a trail of scorched roots and branches where Khaine had walked in the orchid. In the darkness that surrounded him, Kurnous found the Six Owls of Ang, who were so very fond of the Moon Goddess and the gift of sight she had provided them. Now the Six Owls of Ang sang a heartbreaking lament in the darkness, for the Moon Goddess was lost. Kurnous asked the owls for help in an attempt to find Lileath, but the owls just cried and said that soon they too were going to stay silent and the darkenss would engulf the worlds. However, smallest of the Six Owls of Ang, sometimes called Athena, left her compatriots to cry their laments and agreed to help Kurnous. Athena led Kurnous back to his home, the House of the Hunter, where the God of Hunt called for his bloodhounds and asked them to lead him to Vaul. But the Smith God did not know where the Maiden was and knew not how to find her. Sympathetic for Kurnous' cause, Vaul hammered the Hunter a compass so he could find his way, even in the dark. Next Kurnous headed to the residence of Isha, and inquired the whereabouts of Lileath. But Isha knew not the location of her daughter, and cried over her. When Kurnous asked for help, Isha took a tuberose from the ground, fashioned it into an arrow and said when Kurnous was close enough, the tuberose would find its way to Lileath. With the help of Athena, his bloodhounds, and the compass, Kurnous strode the lands, but did not find Lileath anywhere. The Great Hawk watched Kurnous' advance and pleaded Asuryan to help the Hunter. But the Phoenix King refused to help and forbade the Great Hawk to do so either, according to Asuryan, Khaine needed to see the fault in his ways and bring Lileath back himself. Listening the folly of Asuryan, the Great Hawk raced down from the Halls of the Phoenix King to Kurnous, who sat on a stone, pondering ways to find the Moon Goddess. The Great Hawk, helped Kurnous to see where the Moon Goddess was, visible only to as a thin crescent even to the keenest of eyes. Knowing where to go, holding all the tools in his hands, Kurnous travelled deep between the stars and the eternity of night until the tuberose began to bloom. God of the Hunt placed the tuberose in the string of his bow, Kurn-Ath, and shot it into the sky. Following its flight Kurnous found Lileath and together they returned home. Notes References Canonicity The Great Hawk is a character mentioned time and time again in the Eldar codices in the description of Falcon Grav-tank. In the description it says that the Faolchu is a consort of the Great Hawk. This passage can be found at least in: *Codex: Eldar (3rd edition), page 14 *Codex: Eldar (4th edition), page 42 *Codex: Eldar (6th edition), page 45 Category:Eldar Category:Eldar Mythology